In Depth: Why a Sperm Bank Drive Is Fueling Fears of Infertility in China

One February morning, Zhong Ming stepped into the sperm bank of Beijing’s Peking University Third Hospital and was surprised to find the premises packed with men.

Zhong’s visit to the facility was his fourth as a donor and the first time he encountered a crowd, including many who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s, the Ph.D. student told Caixin.

The influx comes as sperm banks in multiple provincial-level regions, such as Yunnan, Shaanxi, Beijing and Shanghai, have been calling on healthy men and college students to donate. This follows the country’s reopening from Covid curbs, which restricted the collection for a sustained period nationwide.